On how self-built structures in cities claim legitimacy bit by bit - A comparison between Mumbai and Philadelphia

In a global context, populations marginalized because of race, class, gender, creed, etc. are those most incessantly stripped of this right to design the city in their own image within formalized constraints. In this way, the “informal” urban process of self-construction is inherently a product of this same marginality that excludes these groups from “formalized” city-making.

We have come to an end with our series on Makers of Homegrown cities and the Vithal Bhaskar graphic novel. This post presents one finale to both.

In this article, we travel to Cape Town in the western capes of South Africa. The homegrown settlements in Cape town have emerged from occupations of underutilized buildings and vacant lands in peripheries of the city. ‘Occupations’ in Cape Town act as points of contact and interaction between homegrown communities, grassroots housing movements, and the city’s planning institutions.

We continue across the border to Karail, a basti (neighbourhood) in Dhaka, Bangladesh to understand homegrown settlements and their formation. 

We are excited to present the first issue of a graphic novel about the Vithal- Bhaskar Chawl in Dharavi Koliwada. This issue sets the historical context for the issues to follow - where we draw and tell you more about the participatory redevelopment project initiated by the residents.

The homegrown neighbourhood is an expression of local organizational skills and maximum optimization of resources in the creation of built environments. In this series we attempt to understand its chief personnel, their tools and the processes involved in the making of such settlements.

Inviting contractors from all over Mumbai to collaborate on designs for homes in Dharavi with residents, architects, and artisans.

What the world’s largest city can teach us about local development (The Hindu 16.02.2019)

Gracias a la invitación de la Universidad San Martin de Porres en Lima – Perú el equipo de Urbz Colombia tuvo la oportunidad de organizar el Taller Fronteras de Segregación, hacia una integración social de espacios fragmentados. Este taller se organizo en el marco del XXIII Congreso Internacional de Ingeniería, Ciencias Aeronáuticas y Arquiforo “Visión 2018”, un evento anual que realiza la

How garment manufacturer Muzaffar makes in Dharavi. (Make in Dharavi III)

How garment manufacturer Aameer makes in Dharavi. (Make in Dharavi II)

How garment maker Samit makes in Dharavi. (Make in Dharavi I)

Homegrown Cities in the mid-day. 

How local, community owned and managed housing co-operatives, can be a vital step towards improving the neighbourhoods, bringing good quality civic infrastructure and making the city genuinely ’slum-free’.